More than $94K raised for sick kids in our community. Thanks to you!

The numbers are in and its official. Thanks to the remarkable generosity of our community, the VJH Foundation raised $94,500 to purchase specialized equipment to care for critically ill children at Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

The funds, raised during the Foundation’s month-long Spring Campaign, will pay for two additional monitoring systems to increase the number of high-acuity beds available in the pediatric ward at VJH.

“Children’s hospital admissions are up almost 10% in the past year and our high-acuity pediatric beds are at max capacity,” says VJHF Executive Director, Kate McBrearty. “Sick kids deserve the best care, as close to home as possible, which is why we’re so grateful to our donors for helping to increase the capacity to provide specialized pediatric care.”

With centralized monitoring, patients can be hooked up to a monitor in their very own room, with the results displayed in a highly visible, centralized location. This means staff can keep watch over their young patients’ respirations, oxygenation, and cardiac status 24/7 and are alerted the second something changes.

The campaign also benefitted from the proceeds of Tim Hortons’ Smile Cookies campaign, which was held earlier in the month, and received a $20,000 matching gift from a local anonymous donor, which helped to amplify the community’s impact.

“It has been awesome to watch the community come together,” says McBrearty. “Thanks to these amazing community fundraisers and everyone who donated, we’re increasing our hospital’s capacity to care for critically ill children. This means greater peace of mind for parents and family members, knowing that their kids are receiving the very best possible care.”

From left to right: Kristen Megyesi, Sarah Kohlman, Rhesi Nagler, Laura Cragg and Ute Cummings.